Raspberry Pi Webcam Capture Demo

Automated picture capture and upload for Raspberry Pi 3 with a USB webcam (Logitech 1080p).

Quick Setup (5 minutes)

1. Install Required Packages

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y fswebcam curl

2. Configure the Script

# Copy the config template
cp picupper.conf.example picupper.conf

# Edit with your settings
nano picupper.conf

Update picupper.conf with your API key and camera settings.

3. Install & Enable

# Make scripts executable
chmod +x capture-upload.sh install.sh

# Run installer (sets up cron job)
./install.sh

That's it! Your Pi will now capture and upload one picture per minute.

Files Included

File	Purpose
`capture-upload.sh`	Main script - captures photo and uploads
`picupper.conf.example`	Configuration template
`install.sh`	Installer script (sets up cron)
`uninstall.sh`	Removes cron job

Configuration Options

Edit picupper.conf:

# PicUpper server URL
API_URL="https://dev.seedheads.de/picUploadApi/upload"

# Your API key (from server admin)
API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

# Camera identifier (unique name for this Pi)
CAMERA_ID="rpi-webcam-1"

# Resolution (1920x1080 for full HD)
RESOLUTION="1920x1080"

# Video device (usually /dev/video0)
VIDEO_DEVICE="/dev/video0"

Manual Testing

# Test capture only (saves to /tmp)
./capture-upload.sh --test

# Run full capture and upload once
./capture-upload.sh

Troubleshooting

Check if webcam is detected

ls /dev/video*
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

Test capture manually

fswebcam -d /dev/video0 -r 1920x1080 --no-banner test.jpg

Check logs

# View recent capture logs
tail -f /var/log/picupper.log

Common Issues

Problem	Solution
"No video device"	Replug USB webcam, check `dmesg`
"Permission denied"	Add user to video group: `sudo usermod -aG video $USER`
"Upload failed"	Check API key and network connection

Changing Capture Frequency

Default is 1 picture per minute. To change:

# Edit cron job
crontab -e

Examples:

Every 5 minutes: */5 * * * * /home/pi/picupper-demo/capture-upload.sh
Every 30 seconds: Use the included systemd timer (see advanced setup)

Hardware Requirements

Raspberry Pi 3 (any model)
USB webcam (Logitech C920/C922/C270 recommended)
SD card with Raspberry Pi OS
Network connection (WiFi or Ethernet)

Network Notes

The script retries failed uploads and logs all attempts. If your Pi loses network, captures continue and uploads resume when connectivity returns.